Self Sensoring

Let’s be honest, would your rather by a hemp product or a CBD product? Yes I know both products come from the same plant. But from a marketing perspective your answer matters.

The word Cannabis means different things to different people. To some it might mean getting high to relax to others it’s medicine. The word cannabis to a marketer is a whole other definition. Because the general public doesn’t nessessarily know the difference between CBD and THC. If you are in the cannabis industry or a fan of the plant you will know the difference because it’s part of the culture.

Hemp is making its way into our main stream culture. You can get hemp products in major chain stores like TJ Maxx and there are abundance of places to get it online. But if you asked someone else who doesn’t smoke weed, they may not know what CBD does. That’s what happened to me over the weekend when I sold some TN home grown products at an event for the eclipse.

In order to sell the product to people of all ages, I needed to educate the potential consumers on the benifitical properties of the plant in its different forms. At the time I was selling, lip and body balm, CBD oil, and dried hemp leaves. CBD is great for you, it all depends on how you want to consume it. Now that I am exposed to different products, I learned I love the skins healing properties of the balm, the CBD oils I great for my road rage and the dried leaves make a very soothing tea. That’s just my opinion. People may have different preferences for how they use the products. The main selling point was that it’s local and legal. That makes people more comfortable with trying the product. Because they aren’t committing crimes.

A lot of companies self sensor. They may just say that it’s a Hemp product and not mention CBD. Other products make a point to say that it contains CBD. It all depends on what wording sells. CBD sells in the cannabis friendly community. Hemp works in the general market because companies like TJ Maxx are selling it. Some companies won’t say either.

Not everyone knows the difference between Hemp and CBD. As a marketer, it’s important to invoke an emotion to sell a product. Bad news spreads a hell of a lot faster than good buzz. Unfortunately for the cannabis plant, the bad buzz is what made the plant illegal. Now is the time to change public opinion because CBD does so much good without the psychoactive element. It’s not easy to spread the word in a Bible Belt. It is happening that’s to people like me. It’s happening slowly. California and Colorado are years ahead of Tennessee but that’s okay because it’s a new market that needs your help with spreading the word.